Potensic ATOM 3-Axis Gimbal 4K GPS Drone, Under 249g, 96 Mins Flight, Max 6KM Transmission, Visual Tracking, 4K/30FPS QuickShots, Lightweight for Adults and Beginners, Fly More Combo

Purchased the Atom 3 axis gimble fly more kit in February 2024. I have only put maybe 2 hours of flight time on this Drone as I have been busy with outdoor projects. Today I had some free time and thought I would get some Drone time in. When I powered on the Drone and entered the Potensic app, there was a Firmware update notice to version 3.4.5. I decided to go ahead with the update since I had a fully charged Batteries and Controller. After the update I noticed my Gimble would not stay in the neutral position and would drift all the way up on its own. So I powered everything off, exited the App and tried again with same issue. I tried calibrating the Gimble but it did not fix the issue. Tried calibrating the remote control and was not able to complete the process because the Gimble control did not respond correctly. Powered off everything again, this time I could complete the remote control calibration but the Gimble still would pan up all the way and would not hold the position set. Ok, I give up and try contacting Potensic support, we will see how good the Customer service is at Potensic. Everything else works like it should, just the Gimble issue. This a deal breaker for me because I bought this for the great reviews and image quality at the price I really hope Potensic will stand behind their product. I will update this review when/if I get a response from Potensic. After working with Potensic I decided this drone may be defective and returned it for a refund and went back to the drawing board to research another sub 249g Drone to purchase. UPDATE - Potensic reached out to me and offered to send me a new drone Kit with single battery to give the Potensic another try. Sure glad theyHorizoe received the new drone today 7/24/2024 and immediately started charging the Battery and Remote control. After a full charge I went thru and loaded the Potensic app, calibrated everything and went out to do some test flying. WOW! The Camera Gimble worked flawlessly, it did not move up or down by itself and the Horizon was dead flat. The video looked great, smooth and seemless. Battery life is very good and charges quickly. I went thru all the preconfigured quick shots, tried the GPS mapping, RTH feature, shot video at 4K 30fps, took pictures and I have to say this Drone really performs extremely well for the price paid. I am extremely glad Potensic reached out to me and asked me to give them another chance. So in conclusion, I would like to give a much deserved shout out to Potensic customer service for making EVERY EFFORT to add another happy customer to the ever expanding number of people who are flying Potensic Atom Drones, and thank you for not giving up on me! I would recommend this Atom Drone to family and friends and to anyone who is looking for a really fun quality Drone to fly!

The video is of my second day flying the drone (and I only used two batteries to film that) in Korea. I had never flown a drone before, not even a toy drone, so I was quite nervous despite having watched some youtube tutorials. Wow, it is SO EASY to fly!! Even on my first flight, after about 20 minutes I felt confident using it. Also, I was surprised by how tiny it is, haha. It's literally about the size of my hand. The plus side is it's lightweight and compact enough to carry around anywhere, but it's hard to keep an eye on it in the sky, especially at a distance. On my first day, I spotted some deer running in a field. It was late afternoon and I was so thrilled to get footage of deer prancing along. Luckily I stopped and hovered for a second, moved the camera angle up, and saw I was just feet away from a smashing into bridge! Please check your surroundings!! It has so many perks. The customer service team is very responsive and helpful. The quality of the footage is fantastic at the price point. Quickshots and tracking are great, especially for a beginner like myself. The "fly more" package you get around 90 minutes of flight time, and can charge the other batteries via USB C while you're flying. Again, it's really easy to use... the controls are sensitive enough that you can pan/turn/lift, etc. as slowly or quickly as you'd like. The only negative is it doesn't have obstacle avoidance. Of course, that would make it more expensive, but just be careful of all the surrounding and play it safe. If you can't see the drone yourself, then please use caution and plan the route carefully. It can be hard to judge how close things are. I'm glad the company regularly takes feedback from customers and makes updates. I'm particularly happy about the option to cancel the automatic return to home and do it manually. I would highly recommend this for anyone wanting to get into drone photography or video, if you have no experience, and are on a budget. This is the one for you! Do not hesitate, just get it!!

The Potensic Atom is simple to setup and get flying. It is very easy to control. The video was better than I expected. The Fly More package with the triple battery charger and case was a worthwhile option to buy. The nicely padded case that comes with the Fly More option fits everything safe and snug. Nicely done. The attached image to this review is a screen capture from the drone of the first video I took within 5 minutes of first flying the Atom. The drone was about 15 feet away from the wife and dog and it didn't bother either of them at all, even though she was blowing the drone a raspberry. The drone is very quiet. The video is unretouched and straight from the memory card of the drone. Very nice image quality, in my humble opinion. The video output is an MP4 file format in 4K at 3480x2160 pixels and 30fps. The remote control uses two control sticks that are screwed onto the remote when in use and unscrewed and stored on the remote control when not in use. Nice setup, but I will lose a few, I know me. So, I bought a few. They are $9 for 2 sticks. I also bought extra propeller blades at about $14 for a complete set of 8 blades (2 blades per each of 4 motors). Again, I know me, so I bought 5 extra sets. Both the controller sticks and the propeller blades are from Potensic on Amazon. The drone also has a non-GPS flight mode using what is oddly called the Time of Flight sensor(ToF). It has a ground observing capability to fly without GPS if within 25 feet or so of the ground. This is primarily for indoor use and it works great! Scared the dog, but the drone was easily controllable indoors. From the manual: "The ATOM is equipped with a downward vision system, it is located beneath the drone. The Downward Vision System consists of a monocular camera and a TOF module. The TOF module includes a transmitter tube and a receiver tub, it can precisely calculate the fly height above the ground by calculating the infrared signals transmission and receiving time. In combination with the monocular camera, the system can help achieve high-precision positioning at low altitudes." People ask about drones, "Is this drone for beginners?" The Potensic Atom is suitable for beginners due to its ease of control, and I expect other than for commercial users, the Atom will do great for most other people. The features of this drone compare favorably to any other drone I researched before I bought the Atom. The remote controller needs a cell phone for display. I am using a 2021 Motorola g-power I had sitting in a drawer. No need to have an activated cell phone, just a phone to use as a display. A current phone that is activated works just fine too. The controller adjusts to your phone size. I did notice that Potensic seems to only offer Android and Apple iOS software for the controller. The phone must be able to connect to the Internet (I used WiFi) and download the Potensic controller app. The drone package came with USB-C and Apple Lightning connectors cables to connect the phone to the remote control. The Potesnic Pro app loaded onto the Motorola Android phone without any issues. Also, the remote controller communicates with the drone, so the phone only needs to be able to run the controller software. Meaning, the phone doesn't need to be anything special. I am initially impressed with the drone's packaging, storage case, quality, ease of setup and use, and the quality of the video. I haven't even started to look into the various advanced capabilities of this drone, but I am looking forward to doing so. Enjoy!

For all intense purpose, to me this appears a DJI knock off of a earlier DJI mini, just lower quality build and packaging. The video is even very similar if you had a older DJI mini. You'll recognize it. In some you tube reviews it manages decent range. In one notable other a reviewer hardly makes it out of a park before losing signal. My experience is somewhere in between closer to the latter. It did not achieve great range. Couple thousand feet or less. . This could and likely is caused by interference and obstruction. Staying under the FAA 400 ft limit in a suburban area I managed less than 2000 feet before video signal break up and rth. The video was lagging and banding before that. You would likely have better luck in a more rural setting, plains or desert. Some place with less interference and better elevation and decent line of sight. Or if you exceeded the 400 ft FAA limit (,I don't advise you do this). Some drones have done better in range tests at this same location. Even less expensive drones. The potensic seems especially sensitive to interference. In flying it is a fun flyer. Handles well. Stable. Almost no deviation holds it's spot well. Impressive. The only exception being wind. I noted it jumped around quite a bit in mild wind especially during ascent and decent. Enough it showed in the video despite the gimble. This is not entirely unexpected for such a small lite drone. During set up there was a moment I couldn't calibrate. Said the camera was over heated. No fan in this unit but normally shouldn't be a problem the air movement cools it off. After giving it a little cool down (and yes left the video off) the over heat message did disappear and I was able to calibrate. Not uncommon drones with fans often have fans kick on when left still and turned on. This just doesn't have a fan (and really doesnt need one). Take note of this because in hovering in warm temperatures overheating may be a possibility. For some reason the drone has not updated it's firmware. It may or may not later it was just something I noticed as drones I've set up often have a immediate update in firmware. Neither the drone or the controller has updated. (Yet). The drone build quality while decent appears slightly under DJI, as the packaging. Long term this is a unknown Factor far as longevity. It could last a while. Or not. The charging hub works. It's reasonably well made.. You'll see this throughout the drone package. A recurrent theme. With the exception perhaps of the controller. It's actually a fairly well made controller. Controller made better than the rest of package. And if you notice it looks really similar to another brand controller they came out with a few years ago. Almost identical in fact. So we know where the controller design (and build) likely came from. About the only thing not seemingly a DJI cheaper copy. The drone itself comes well packed and reminds me heavily of DJI. Just everything slightly lower quality except the charging hub. Can I recommend this drone? For the $300 -$400 price range yes. Everything works. Made slightly lower perhaps too achieve a price point. It's a stable (if not in wind) very fun flyer. The application, the drone, charging hub all consumer friendly (some drones are in Chinese still). The charging hub and controller the best points in this package. I do like the controller quality. The drone isn't geo locked unlike some other brands. If that matters to you. It leaves the person flying it at their own choice but does come up with warnings to let the user know they may be in violation of federal or local laws. So it's informative while not overly restrictive. The camera quality is definitely not pro but usable. Fair at this price point. This drone does not have obstacle avoidance. Which at this price point you wouldn't want anyway because if it had obstacle avoidance it probably wouldn't work right. With the pretty well made controller and the charging hub is a convenient user friendly package. User friendly and cheaper seems drones theme. It even comes with a charging brick unlike dji (way to go DJI on the air 3 here I go again) which makes you buy the charging brick separate (grr). Alternatives:? Any of the Rukos, sjrc, and Ruko copy models especially if you want something better in wind and are willing to exceed the 250 grams and take the TRUST quiz do the $5 drone registration. It's not hard. And the drones are heavier and more sturdy. They unfortunately often have lower quality controllers and no battery hub. Though the drones themselves appear sturdier. F22s is over 250g (requiring reg) about the same price point and higher wind resistance with at least frontal obstacle avoidance. Or a older model DJI mini can be had in this price range or less. Which is kind of what this appears anyway. The newer faith mini is in this league. Worth a look. There is alternatives, especially if you shop other than Amazon, but for the $300- $400 mini drone segment this is one of the better buys. Better closer to the $300 mark. Just remember if you are spending less than half 1/2 the price of the DJI it won't match up to DJI quality in camera or build. Other than perhaps the controller. Which again, the highest quality part of this package seems to be the controller. Looking real similar to another brand. The price is inching up toward the $400 mark on this now. Still fair. But If it keeps going up I'd suggest you consider alternatives. There is decent quality alternatives. If the price goes to $500 minus a star from this review. If you want affordable fun this could be for you. It's good for the average consumer. If you want quality move up into the autel DJI, skydio, other higher model brands. Just remember there is a cost. Potensic offers a decent product for this consumer friendly mini drone price point. Potensic declined to send me one for testing. So I bought this with my own money. This review is not paid or sponsored. It is of my opinion only. In messages potensic customer service said they made their own sensor. I inquired of various sensors in their drones. The listing says this has a Sony sensor. Potensic in communication says they made their own. Contradictory. I'm left to think there is a communication issue, or potensic customer service doesn't know their own products. This could be a factor in attaining quality customer support..

I'm extremely happy with this drone. The recording is very smooth with the gimbal, and it's capabilities are great. From my experience it can fly around 30mph, which is great with the exceptionally windy area I live in. I was worried about app connectivity at first, but it works effortlessly! It's easy to use with the app's camera view and included remote. It stays connected up to a half mile radius from what I've seen, and can fly half a mile up.

Over all of the time I have had with this drone, i can safely say that this deserves 5 Stars, THis drone does a good job at what it does from its unboxing to its use & does things better than its predecessor; The ATOM SE. Before anything here is the Pros & Cons of this drone as far as I could find: ======== Pros: -3 Axis Gimbal -easy to understand & use -Quickshots -Snappy controls -Very customizable -Sub 250G -RTH & GPS -More controller battery life -6 KM of Range!!!!! (About 2-3.5 Miles) Cons: -Smart flight Battery Return too high -can be prone to losing connection momentarily mid-flight From start to finish this drone was already an improvement. The unboxing was simple and The included carrying bag that came with the drone is nice and much more sturdy. There are 4 separate pockets to store things like the controller & the battery hub. And overall it keeps everything snug and fit like it should be.(SEE 1ST Picture) The drone looks a lot like its predecessor, The ATOM SE, In a few ways from the body of the drone to the controller, but every part of it is upgraded. The controller boasts a big battery that will make sure to keep you flying for hours, The drone & the controller both have PixSync 3.0 Which allows for smoother and better video & data Transmission. The Camera on the drone itself is equipped with 𝟏/𝟑’’ SONY CMOS SENSOR and a 𝟏𝟐𝐌𝐏 camera capable of recording 𝟒𝐊 video. This allows cinematic shots to be achieved with ease, and is very clear. The Photos & Videos are stored on the Drones Removable MicroSD card to connect to a PC or such. The Quickshots on the drone are one of its key features, this feature allows you to use the drone & its built in camera in a very Special way (SEE VIDEO) to create Cinematic shots without the operator having to do anything, the drone also includes a visual tracking AI that can follow an object. The ATOM has very snappy controls and is very customizable, from the minimum return altitude to the maximum height that this drone can go. The controls are responsive and don't lag behind unlike other drones in the competition. The drone comes with RTH capabilities that allow it to be able to return home in case of a disconnect or any other problems. It also is equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) And GLONASS(More Precise GPS) to help it stay in place. The only bad thing that I have encountered while using this drone is the Smart Battery Return, It RTH the drone but when it got back it still had 50% battery, I know there should be some leeway to make sure the drone returns safely but that seems a little much. on the other issue is the random disconnects with the drone. It never happened often (maybe 1 per flight) that the controller disconnects from the drone for a split second. Its nothing that hinders the overall performance of the drone andIt is probably just a slight Defect with my unit, and the Smart return can be fixed via OTA update. Overall this drone is amazing and with that you get the best customer service on the face of the planet in my opinion!!

Extremely nice for its price. Camera is amazing even at night. Its auto return functions are very accurate. The UI is easy to use and the control is nice to hold. Batteries charge extremely fast. You can fly for three hours and charge the batteries completely in 45 minutes. Gives you handy warnings on the screen if it’s too windy. Wish it had some collision avoidance but for a little over $300 it’s stable enough for it not to be a bother. Very comparable to a DJI and doesn’t really have any features that make it better. The product itself thought is very high quality.

Potensic went above and beyond to resolve an issue I was having with my drone. They sent a new drone in less than 24 hours after diagnosing the issue and provided prepaid postage for me to return the malfunctioning drone. This was even after the 30 days return window. This company will have your back and cares about the customer experience. In terms of the product itself, I thought it was pretty good even when malfunctioning but having a fully functioning, unit I’m blown away with the performance. I can attest it can reach and sustain 36mph in sports mode which is on par if not better than most drones in this class. The camera quality is good and 3X zoom is achieved by lowering the resolution to 2.7K, which is almost telephoto. As mentioned before by others, it also charges the batteries in parallel, so you could in theory just continuously fly the drone with the three-pack combo, only stopping to swap batteries. It's an excellent starter drone. If you are considering this as your first drone, or haven't flown drones in years, line of sight is crucial for a reliable connection and to stay legal. It's an excellent flyer. If I wanted any more out of this drone it would be the option to have a larger capacity battery with a built-in remote id module and maybe beacon lights for night flying to stay compliant. The standard kit is a steal, but I guarantee you’ll be wishing you had the extra batteries in the combo package. If you have a protective case on your phone place the phone higher on the controller so the plug is protruding and not inserted into the tuck-away, or just stick something in the tuck-away area like a piece of paper. The additional thickness of a case can cause the end that plugs into the phone to be stressed at a slight angle.